Nut-lock.



R. W. JUDIGK.

NUT LOOK.

APPLICATION FILED APR.10,1914

1, 1 26,225. Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

FIG. 7.

I-IE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHoTo-LITHQ, WASHINGTON D. 1

UNTTE STATES PATENT @FFTQE.

RICHARD W. JUDICK, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTHTO CARL P. SEYLER, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ONE-FOURTH TO WILLIAM P.MGILVANE, OF ASPINWALL, PENNSYLVANIA, AND ONE-FOURTH T MICHAEL R. NOLAN,OF GLENSI-IAW, PENNSYLVANIA.

NUT-LOCK.

messes.

Specification of Letters .Patent.

Patented J an. 26,1915.

Application filed April 10, 1914. Serial No. 831,023.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD W. JUDIGK, a resident of Pittsburgh, in thecounty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Nut-Locks, of which the following is aspecii'ication.

This invention relates to nut locks. The object of the invention is toprovide a simple form of nut lock which can be used to prevent a nutfrom turning backwardly on the bolt or in emergency as a nut, which nutlock is efiective in operation, and which can be manufactured easily andat low cost. The invention comprises the construction and arrangement ofparts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan view of one form of nut lockembodying the invention; Fig. 2 is an edge view thereof from the bottom,Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an edge view from the left in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is asectional view, showing the nut lock applied to a bolt, the bolt beingshown in elevation and the nut lock in section on the line M Fig. 1;Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modified form of nut lock; Fig. 6 is an edgeview of the same from the right in Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a plan view andFig. 8 is an edge View of still other forms of nut lock.

The nut lock shown in the drawings comprises a flat plate or sheet ofmetal bent along a line or lines to form a plurality of flat leaves 1,which are connected at the line or lines of fold only, as at 2, andwhich leaves are superposed upon each other and lie in substantiallyparallel planes.

The nut lock may be formed of several leaves, as shown in Fig. 8, wheresix leaves are shown, or may consist of any other number of leaves, theother views of the drawing showing nut locks having two leaves.

The plate from which the nut lock is formed may be of any suitable shapeso that the completed nut lock will have any desired shape in plan view,such as square, as shown in Fig. 1, hexagonal, as shown in Fig. 5,octagonal, round, elliptical, or any other shape. The leaves of the nutlock are provided with alined apertures 3, preferably circular, whichmay be formed in any suitable manner, such as by boring or punching, andwhich are of a diameter substantially the same as or a little greaterthan the diameter of the bolt at the root of its threads, due to thethickness of the leaves,

as will be readily understood.

The leaves of the nut lock are each provided with a slit or opening 4extending from the aperture 8 therein either part way through the nutlock as shown in Fig. 7, or clear through to the outer periphery of thesame, as shown in Fig. 6, and which slits are preferably in that side ofthe nut lock where the leaves are joined, that is, at the edge 2,although they may be located elsewhere. The slits 41 may extend in anydirection, but preferably are substantially tangential to the edge ofthe opening 3 in the leaf, as shown in Fig. 1. They may be formed in anysuitable manner, as by sawing or shearing, and may for example be formedat the same time as the apertures 3 by providing the punching machinewith a suitable knife or shear attachment for simultaneously slittingthe washer. Either simultaneously with the formation of the slits 1 orsubsequently thereto, the opposite edges of the slit in each leaf,indicated respectively at 5 and 6, are separated in a direction normalto the plane of the leaf. This may be done in any suitable manner, suchas by lifting or depressing one or the other or both of the edgeportions 5 and 6, so that they are forced out of the plane of the leaf.35 Usually, one edge portion is bent toward one side of the washer andthe other edge portion toward the other side of the washer, as shown inFigs. 2 and 3, although this is not essential. This causes the edges ofthe openings in the apertures 3 of the leaves to assume a spiral form,the leaves being bent so that the edge of their slitted portions lies instaggered relation.

It will be observed that the opposite faces of the nut lock are notidentical. On one face the projecting member is the edge portion 5 ofone leaf, whose edge is a tangential continuation of the opening 3. Onthe other face of the nut lock, the projecting member is the edgeportion 6 of the other leaf of the nut lock, whose outer edge issubstantially tangent to the edge of the opening 3 of said leaf, therebyproducing a sharp pointed tooth 10 with its point at one edge of theopening 3.

Fig. 4 shows the nut lock applied for preventing backward rotation of anut 7 threaded upon a bolt 8 which clamps together two members 9. Thenut lock is preferably applied to the outer end of the bolt and isscrewed up tightly against the nut 7 with the projecting tooth 10 of thenut lock next to the nut. When the nut lock is screwed up tightly, thistooth is pinched or jammed between the outer face of the nut and thenext thread of the bolt, indicated at 12. The more the nut tends to turnbackwardly, the harder is the tooth 10 pinched or jammed, so that theresistance to turning the nut increases rather than decreases as the nuttends to turn backwardly.

When the slits 4: extend out through the edge 2 of the nut lock wherethe leaves are joined a multiple pinching effect is produced, becausethe pressure upon the tooth 10 of the leaf next to the nut istransmitted to the teeth 10 of the other leaves and pres sure istherefore produced upon two or more threads of the bolt. Moreover, byslitting the washer through the edge 2 where the leaves are joined, theedges of the leaves are held more accurately in spiral position andthere is less liability of deforming the nut lock or of spreading itsleaves apart in applying it to a bolt or turning it thereon. Moreover,when the nut lock is slitted only part way through, as in Fig. 7, ametal bridge 13 is left which connects the edge portions on oppositesides of the slits, so that the nut lock is considerably reinforced andis much stronger.

The nut lock shown in Figs. 5 and 6 has the slits extending through thatedge of the nut lock opposite the edge 2. where the leaves are joined.The opposite edge portions 5 and 6 of the leaves are separated from eachother in a direction normal to the plane of the nut lock, and the nutlock is ap plied in the same manner as shown in Fig. i. In this case thenut lock resists backward turning by the friction of its edges upon thebolt threads, and also because the tooth 10 of the leaf next to the nutis jammed in between the nut and the next thread of the bolt, as in theconstruction above described. This form of nut lock is satisfactory anddurable and can be made as cheaply as the first form described.

In constructing the nut lock, the edge portions of the slits 4 arepreferably forced past each other a little less than the amountnecessary to form the inner edges of the openings 3 into a true andcontinuous spiral. Consequently, when the nut lock is applied to thebolt it forms its own thread and in so doing, places the metal of eachleaf under some additional strain. Consequently, it exerts considerablefriction upon the threads of the bolt which also assists in preventingit from turning backwardly.

The nut lock described may be used in emergencies as a nut as it isprovided with more than a full thread and is sufficiently strong ofitself to exert a material clamping effect.

What I claim is 1. A nut lock, comprising two leaves connected at oneedge only and provided with a bolt aperture therethrough, said leavesbeing slitted from the bolt hole outwardly toward the outer edge of thenut lock, the

edges of the slits being spread apart in a direction normal to the planeof the nut lock to form a tooth adapted to enter the space between thebolt threads and be pinched between said threads and the nut when thenut lock is turned up against the nut.

2. A nut lock, comprising two leaves connected at one edge only andprovided with a bolt aperture therethrough, said leaves be ing slittedfrom the bolt hole outwardly toward the edge where the two leaves areconnected the edges of the slits being spread apart in a directionnormal to the plane of the nut lock to form a tooth adapted to enter thespace between the bolt threads and be pinched between"said threads andthe nut when the nut lock is turned up against the nut.

3. A nut lock, comprising two leaves connected at one edgeonly andprovided with a bolt aperture therethrough, said leaves being slittedfrom the bolt hole outwardly to a point short of the outer edge of thenut lock the edges of the slits being spread apart in adirection normalto the plane of the nut lock to form a tooth adapted to enter the spacebetween the bolt threads and be pinched between said threads and the nutwhen the nut lock is turned up against the nut.

A. A nut lock, comprising two leaves connected at one edge only andprovided with a bolt aperture therethrough, said leaves being slittedfrom the bolt hole outwardly toward that edge of the nut lock where thetwo leaves are connected and to a point short of the outer edge of thenut lock the edges of the slits being spread apart in a direction normalto the plane of the nut lock to form a tooth adapted to enter the spacebetween the bolt threads and be pinched be tween said threads and thenut when the nut lock is turned up against the nut.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand. I RICHARD W. JUDICK.Witnesses:

ELBERT L. HYDE, GLENN H. LERESCHE.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

